Found this chap in a freshwater brook.

[thingemajib]

My parents house has a small brook flowing through the garden right at the bottom. Ive just taken a walk down and found this guy chilling in the water:

Spoiler

I have absolutely no idea how it got there, but I thought lobsters needed saltwater to survive? I feel like I should do something for it as the brook is meshed off before flowing into next doors pond, however I'm not sure what to do (it stood up and snapped its claws at me when I came near so I guess its threatened by me). Anyone got any advice on what kind of lobster it is and if I should do anything for it?

Before anyone suggests, no i'm not going to eat it...

 

[MB101]

Fresh water crayfish.

 

[deusexlumina]

awesome find! i think freshwater lobster exist? someone will come along and correct me though...

still a strange place to find it. looks almost too big to be found in the wild like that!

edit: crayfish!

 

[Malevolence]

It's a crayfish. Catch it, cook it and eat it.

 

[Danthus]

BLOODY IMMIGRANT CRAYFISH COMING OVER HERE AND DISPLACING OUR NATIVE CRAYFISH.

/shakes claw.

 

[thingemajib]

Fresh water crayfish.

ah, shows how much I know about stuff like this.

Still have no idea how it ended up there though, the first picture shows the width and depth of said brook, rarely get anything bar some very small fish down it.

 

[kindai]

Queen Wasp

 

[Cosimo]

It's a crayfish. Catch it, cook it and eat it.

No need to ruin his day.

 

[NoNameNoNumber]

Red signal crayfish... AFAIK it's illegal to catch them and NOT kill them. They're killing all of our indigenous crayfish.

We use lobster pots in a beck near my mrs' house. Yum yum.

 

[Glaucus]

Red signal crayfish... AFAIK it's illegal to catch them and NOT kill them. They're killing all of our indigenous crayfish.

We use lobster pots in a beck near my mrs' house. Yum yum.

This, tasty tasty tasty, and you lucky sod, get a lobster pot and get more. They can wonder quite far to find new water.

And you'll never run out, we need people to eat thousands of them. As they are so evasive, there's literally millions and they lay 250eggs a year.

 

[Mynight]

Offer a handshake to welcome it

I thought you had to get permission to catch crayfish now?

 

[arknor]

kill it with boiling water

 

[MB101]

Red signal crayfish... AFAIK it's illegal to catch them and NOT kill them. They're killing all of our indigenous crayfish.

We use lobster pots in a beck near my mrs' house. Yum yum.

Indeed.

It's the same as red vs grey squirrels. The introduced animal is wiping out the native animal.

 

[Glaucus]

I thought you had to get permission to catch crayfish now?

So you do, when did that happen.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/crayfish-tapping-using-the-right-trap

 

[Mynight]

So you do, when did that happen.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/crayfish-tapping-using-the-right-trap

Was just about to edit with that link.

I assume maybe its to prevent ignorance they don't look hugely dissimilar to the native ones.

 

[DJ_Bucho]

WOW, he's a big fella. Is he stuck in the mud or is his tail just curled underneath him?

 

[FirebarUK]

Cook him and do the native species a favour. Quick, get back there and put him into a pot!

 

[FTM]

Signal crayfish

invasive species and very bad for native species

they are however increibly tasty and legal to catch

more importantly if they have not been seen in the area before it might be worth notifying the Environment agency as they really want to keep track of their movements and spread

 

[FTM]

and if you are going to catch them..wear gardening gloves and they nip like a bugger!

but lordy they taste good with loads of cajun spices...a bucket of crayfish simply cooked was some of the best eating we had in texas

 

[Tefal]

Offer a handshake to welcome it

I thought you had to get permission to catch crayfish now?

to trap not catch